Donald George would have commanded attention and drawn a laugh — on stage or off — even without his roughly 6-foot-3-inch frame.
"He had the kind of personality that when he walked into a room, he was bigger than life," said partner David Cooper of Oakmont.
Donald Alan George died in his home in Oakmont on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012, from Parkinson's disease. He was 71.
"He was known for telling jokes, be they off-color or not," said Cooper, who had been with Mr. George for 51 years. "And he had this infectious laugh."
Born and raised in Natrona Heights, Mr. George parlayed his good looks and beautiful baritone voice onto the stage in the mid- to late 1960s. He frequently performed in summer stock productions at theaters in McKeesport, Greensburg and elsewhere in the region.
"He really knew how to sing, and he always played the leading man," Cooper said. One role he was known for was Billy Crocker in "Anything Goes," Cole Porter's popular musical comedy.
Elizabeth Kirwin said her brother had "a really caring personality" and a strong knack for design and detail.
"You would get something from him in the mail unexpectedly, not just for Christmas or on your birthday," said Mrs. Kirwin of Everett, Bedford County. "It would be something he'd come across during his travels."
Until he retired in 2008, Mr. George was national sales manager for importer Robert M. Weiss, where he worked for about 20 years organizing wholesale trade shows. Based in New York, the company specialized in hand-crafted furniture, mirrors and accessories from Peru.
"He loved it," Cooper said. "He traveled all over the country and would be gone weeks at a time."
As part of his imports trade, Mr. George frequently drove between Pittsburgh and New York and many times stopped midway at his sister's house -- with little notice but bearing gifts.
"He'd show up with furniture or antiques for my house," Mrs. Kirwin said. "And then while he was there, he'd redecorate the house. He was good at it."
When Mr. George wasn't on the road, he often helped at Articulation Ltd., the Shadyside shop Cooper owned, which sold American hand-crafted items until closing last April. Mr. George became renowned for his gift-wrapping abilities.
"He was able to wrap an ordinary gift to make it look like it came from Tiffany's," said longtime customer Gwen Swaney of Point Breeze.
"I sometimes worked down in the basement of Articulation where he did the wrapping," said Mrs. Kirwin. "After he was done, I got to bring the gifts up to the shop floor and see the looks on people's faces who were buying them."
In addition to his sister and partner, survivors include brothers Gary George of Natrona Heights, James George of Brackenridge and Robert George of Meadville; another sister, Mary Schrecengost of Tarentum; and nine nieces and nephews.
Friends will be received from 1 to 2 p.m. Tuesday at English Funeral Home and Cremation Services Inc., 378 Maryland Ave., Oakmont. Visitation will be followed immediately by a memorial service celebrating Mr. George's life.
The family asks that memorials be in the form of donations in Mr. George's name to the Parkinson Foundation of Western Pennsylvania or to the Alzheimer's Association.
